All 1st-year classes were canceled in favor of a field trip (across the street) to the the Ringling museums. Yes, Ringling like the circus.
The owners of the estate were John and Mabel Ringling, who had a great deal of money thanks to the circus, railroads, and oil. They loved the arts, and had a huge mansion and an extensive art collection, which they housed in a museum. There are also other exhibits on the grounds that are impressive, such as a scale model of a circus the most intricate and massive representation of anything that I have ever seen. It was mind-blowing.
Of course, it was class related.
Our assignment for Movement class:
"Look for a painting with a narrative or story that you want to step into."
For Acting class:
Try to look for examples of ease, beauty, form, and entirety. And also look for qualities of floating, flying, molding, and radiating.
Easily my favorite thing in the collection is The Blue Madonna by Carlo Dolci. My voice professor and "Big Show" also feel a strong connection with it. It's not a large painting, and it's sort of shoved into the corner of a small room, but it's so powerful that you can't help but look at it.
Not really the same online, but maybe you see what I mean.
I also enjoyed another Carlo Dolci work called Saint John the Evangelist Writing the Book of Revelation.
Sadly, I don't think they're good pieces for my Movement class assignment. I think I'm going to go with The Judgement of Paris by Lodovico David.
(bad photograph, I know... but it's the best I could find online)Anyway.
We had a conversation with the professors sitting on the deck of the Ringling mansion (called the "Ca' d'Zan", or "house of John") at the end of the day to wrap up. I think the best thing I learned all day was this:
The difference between madness and passion is purpose.
Glean from that what you will.
~A~
P.S. If you'd like to check out more of the Ringling collection online, you can do it here.
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